Rabbi’s Corner
Maimonides FAVORITE Day of the Year – December 31^st, the biggest day to GIVE!
Moses ben Maimon, known as Maimonides, or the Rambam was a preeminent Jewish philosopher, scholar and physician in the Middle Ages. Among his many accomplishments was a fourteen volume work known as the Mishna Torah. One of the most widely referred to sections of the Mishneh Torah is that dealing with Tzedahkah. “Laws about Giving to Poor People.”
According to Charity Navigator ONE THIRD of all online charitable giving occurs in December, and 22% of annual giving happens in the last two days of the year, with most donations coming in between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm on December 31^st.
For Americans, this is the last day you can claim a deduction on your 2012 Tax Return. As American Jews, “giving” isn’t JUST about the deduction (hopefully) but an opportunity to perform acts of Tzedahkah. Call it charitable giving. Call it righteous giving. Whatever you personally call it, it is not just a Jewish “tradition,” it is a MITZVAH, that which is commanded by God.
Judaism points to eight Levels of ‘Giving’ or, as you might have learned it in Sunday School “Maimonides’ Ladder of Tzedahkah, where the first level is LEAST preferable, and the eighth the MOST. Think of this ladder as a precursor to David Letterman’s “Top Ten” without the ‘drumroll.’
MAIMONIDES LADDER OF TZEDAHKAH

8. Giving unwillingly.

7. Giving willingly, but inadequately.

6. Giving adequately after being asked.

5. Giving tzedakah before being asked.

4. Giving tzedakah publicly to an unknown recipient.

3. Giving tzedakah anonymously to a known recipient.

2. Giving tzedakah anonymously to an unknown recipient via a trustworthy person (or public fund), that can perform acts of tzedakah with your money.

1. Giving an interest-free loan to a person in need; forming a partnership with a person in need; giving a grant to a person in need; finding a job for a person in need; so long as that loan, grant, partnership, or job results in the person no longer living by relying upon others. (The root, in America, of “The Hebrew Free Loan Society.”)

Of course Maimonides created his ladder not to reflect one-time end of year giving, but how one should conduct oneself in giving throughout the year. Maimonides’ accountant didn’t clue him in on the ‘tax advantage’ point of view. If he HAD, Maimonides would have created an even HOLIER rung of giving; NON-DEDUCTIBLE!
So as you sit down and look at your “end of the year giving”, ask yourself, “WHAT WOULD MAIMONIDES DO?” Have you clothed the naked, fed the hungry, tended to the needs of the widow, the orphan or the elderly? Have you enabled the sick to be treated and the homeless to be housed? Have you supported scholarships for students and worthy civic causes? Have you given to support the homeland of the Jewish people, or assisted Jews in oppressive regimes to relocate? Have you underwritten Jewish Education, Jewish institutions or (even) your synagogue?
As we’ve learned recently through the ever-increasing number of disasters in this country, we don’t even have to write a check to donate, we just have to punch a few numbers on our cell phones, or surf the net to find charities that reflect our personal values. Click, click, click, and our pocket books can back up our principles.
No matter which step on Maimonides’ Ladder you find yourself, no matter what your comfort zone, no matter how public, how private, or how personal your giving is, your actions are part of a tradition that dates back more than a thousand years, a tradition that finds its roots even further back, in Torah times.
We are so fortunate. The Mayan Calendar didn’t signal the END OF THE WORLD and you still have a few days until December 31^st.
So whether you take the ‘standard deduction’ or ‘itemize’, may your hearts and your checkbook be motivated by the spirit of Maimonides.
Have a Happy and Healthy 2013. Drive safely and NO TEXTING while DRIVING!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Rose

ATROCITIES HAPPEN

Excerpted from the High Holy Day Yizkor (memorial) Service.

“Some of us call to mind children, entrusted to our care all too briefly, taken from us before they reached the age of maturity and fulfillment, to whom we gave our loving care and from whom we received a trust which enriched our lives... We are sustained and comforted by the thought that the goodness which they brought into our lives remains an enduring blessing…” Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan

May God remember the souls of the victims of the Newtown School shooting who have gone to their eternal rest. In tribute to their memory, I pledge to perform acts of charity and goodness. May the deeds I perform and the prayers I offer help to keep their souls bound up in the bond of life as an enduring source of blessing. The Yizkor Prayer

Rabbis and clergy of every denomination sat down this week to face a blank page, a blank screen. What could they possibly say to their congregations when they, themselves were struggling with the questions: Why? How? Where was God? Why does God let bad things happen? And when we hear “sound bites” on the radio, why is it that words like “we need a time for healing” or “the children will be angels, gathered to God” sound so hollow…almost as hollow as cries for gun control and better psychiatric care. Almost as hollow as the oft heard pronouncement that ‘this time is different’ and ‘this time we must bring about change.’

But “change” isn’t always something we can count on or believe in. In 1966, Charles Whitman, a student at the University of Texas in Austin mounted the stairs of the University Tower, and from his vantage point above the campus, killed 13 people and wounded 32. The night before this, he killed his mother and wife so they wouldn’t have to “suffer” the ramifications of his pre-meditated actions the following day. Shortly before all this happened, he spoke to a mental health professional to say he just didn’t feel like himself. The doctor asked what he felt like. “I feel like I could climb up to the Tower and just start shooting.” There had never been any follow up on this visit, and Whitman never returned for another appointment.

There were no video games in 1966. There were fewer guns. Psychiatry was in its infancy. Try as we (or the media) wish to apply reasoning to horrific scenarios the fact is that atrocities happen. They’ve happened throughout history. They happen somewhere in the world every day.

The difference is that now, due to intense media coverage we can tick off the names of mass shootings with the familiarity of the Ten Plagues brought upon Egypt: US Postal Service – Oklahoma, Long Island Railroad Massacre, Columbine High School, Aurora Theater Shooting, Fort Hood Massacre, Amish School Shooting, Virginia Tech, Sikh Temple Shooting, The Portland Mall and now Newtown School.

We will never become immune to these tragedies. We will never become de-sensitized. And that is how we can retain OUR HUMANITY when we question the inhumanity of others.

Our prayer for the dead, EYL MALEY RAHAMIM, begins with the words “Merciful God,” somewhat ironic for times such as these. But it is a prayer of love and compassion for those we have lost. In reciting this prayer at a time when we would like to lash out or accuse or shake our fist at God, we remind ourselves that God did not commit these acts, and God could not have prevented them. Instead, we REACH OUT to GOD to help restore our internal peace so that we may continue to live in a world that is imperfect.

“Merciful God, who dwells on high and in our hearts, grant perfect peace to the souls of these beloved children and teachers who have gone to their eternal rest. Shelter them in Your Divine Presence among the holy and pure whose radiance is like the brightness of the firmament. May their memory inspire us to live justly and kindly. May their souls be at peace; and may they be bound up in the bond of eternal life.”

Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Rose Lyn Jacob

There is so much to learn from A CHRISTMAS CAROL

There is so much to learn from A CHRISTMAS CAROL - Charles Dickens’s Tale of Tzedahkah, Gimilut Hasadim, and Rachmonus Here we are, the middle of December, smack in the middle of the pre-Christmas frenzy, or, as one of my good Catholic friends calls the run-up to Christmas, “THE GENTILE MADNESS.”

‘Tis the season of shopping, parties, endless and merciless Christmas carols (secular and religious) in the malls and stores, a Salvation bell ringer in front of every supermarket, and TONS of charity solicitations by mail, and, if your are lucky, a work bonus or that holiday turkey or ham from the boss.

Christmas wasn’t always celebrated as it is today. Back in 1645 the Puritan Parliament declared it a working day and Christmas was banned! Even making Christmas pies could lead to arrest as an example to others! Holiday customs began to fade away, since anyone found celebrating could get into trouble. No caroling in the streets and both public and private feasting and decorating stopped.

So where did the Christmas we’ve all grown to know COME FROM? We have one person to thank, and that would be CHARLES DICKENS and his novella “A Christmas Carol.” Dickens had suffered a horrible loveless childhood of want, loneliness and despair.  His parents were sent to debtors prison and he was farmed out and put to work at an early age. Around him he saw the suffering of those displaced and driven into poverty by the Industrial Revolution. He witnessed and experienced the hunger, cold, dismal, hopeless lives of the downtrodden in London. He knew what it was to work long hours in a cold cubical heated by just one lump of coal, like his character Bob Cratchet. With “A Christmas Carol” Dickens sets out to create a festival of love, and generosity of spirit and wealth. He published the novel in December of 1843. By the spring of 1844 there was a sudden burst of charitable giving in Britain, which was attributed to Dickens’s novella. His tale of warning created a spirit of compassion, giving, and an obligation to take care of the poor in a more humane way. Employers began to give Christmas day off to employees, and some began to give out Turkeys and Hams to emulate Scrooges’ giving. For decades, the Queen of Sweden sent donations to the crippled children of London in remembrance of Tiny Tim!

In short, it is a tale of one man’s redemption, for if even old Scrooge has the possibility to mend his ways and have a second chance at life, so can the rest of us! You may ask, “ How Jewish is this story?” I’d say EXTREMELY! It encompasses the fundamental Jewish values we strive to impart to our children and to live by ourselves.  Each year at Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur we seek to be written in the book of life for another year. We are made aware of all our shortcomings in regard to our fellow man. We are offered a path away from the horrible decree. Tzedahkah – Charitable Giving, Teshuva – Returning to what we know is good and right. We are also encouraged to do– Gimelut Hassadim –literally, “the giving of loving-kindness.” These would include clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and burying the dead. 

There is one more Jewish value in the story, Rachmonus – Compassion.  When approached for a charitable donation for the poor, Scrooge demands of the two gentlemen soliciting, “Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?” He sits in judgment of the poor rather than helping them. With regard to Tiny Tim, compassion wells up as he is shown a vision of the future in which Tiny Tim dies. He is so moved that after the revelation and redemption, Scrooge becomes a ‘second father’ to Tiny Tim and the boy survives.

So this holiday season, don’t change the station. Watch “A Christmas Carol”… any one of the hundreds of versions lurking around this time of year (A Muppet Christmas Carol is good for the Little Ones.) Discuss the values in the film, and that both Christians and Jews share. I know that I will be reading “A Christmas Carol” with friends this year, and we will once again share the message of redemption through change. Shabbat Shalom, “and God bless us, everyone”

Rabbi Rose Lyn Jacob

The Time-tested Cure for Seasonal Affective Disorder – Festivals of Light

Driving through Old Town Culpeper, after dark, I am quite taken with the holiday lights festooning the old-time streetlamps. They remind me of snowy winters up North in New Jersey, New York City, Boston, and Wisconsin.  As December advances towards the Winter Solstice, and the days get shorter and shorter, there is something magical and comforting in those lights.  I pre-date shopping malls, and so my memory banks include that wonderful feeling of chilly nights shopping on “main street” … with its seasonal motif lights, and well-lit stores bustling after dark with holiday shoppers. I now live deep in the woods, adjacent to the Shenandoah National Park.  Most of the year, my home feels completely secluded, wrapped in foliage.  But after Thanksgiving when the outrageous beauty of our autumn colors fades, and the trees are bare, I realize that I am not alone. From the window near my desk, I can finally see my neighbor’s house. In winter sunset comes early to Weakley Hollow Road, at least an hour before the rest of Madison County.  Night descends quickly. It is pitch black allowing me to step outside and observe all the winter constellations.  But in the evenings of December, there are two other observable sources of light here in the hollow. One is the light from the small, table-top Christmas tree in the living room of our only neighbor. The other light beams out from the Chanukah menorah in the window of our house. These two lights in the darkness reassure both families that neither is alone. Our traditions may be different, but in the darkness, it is the light that connects us. The Chanukah story of the miracle of a small jug of pure olive oil lighting the giant menorah in the Temple for eight days, is just that; a story to capture our imaginations. Cleaning up the desecrated Temple and rededicating the Temple to our God was symbolic of something even greater. What the story wants us to understand is that it was the Jews themselves who had to rededicate themselves to God! And that is why the oil they were to burn had to be PURE; for if the light of Judaism was to be rekindled, it could only be rekindled by an act that symbolized the PURITY of their intent. We’ve learned through our history that the most moving and powerful events have come out of the bleakest times. When times are darkest and hope is all but extinguished, a light comes… a glimmer, a shining star, a sun god, divine light, or, in the case of the Jews, candles to light the way, to bring us hope to carry us from the dark to the light. This holiday season, I hope that we can all learn to move toward the light whether our twinkling lights are blue and white, or red and green. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Rose Lyn Jacob

Instead of one day of Christmas, we get EIGHT CRAZY NIGHTS!

 Why Adam Sandler’s Chanukah Songs (all three versions) are so important!

“When you feel like the only kid in town without a Christmas tree
Here's a list of people who are Jewish just like you and me.”

 In 1994 comedian Adam Sandler appeared on Saturday Night Live and unwittingly tapped into a nerve in the American Jewish psyche. His song, that night, created by SNL writers was a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ response to all those Jewish kids (and the rest of us) who found themselves a little “put out” and “left out” during the Christmas season.  We know it as   “The Chanukah Song” and it has been so successful that it has been “updated” twice to reflect changing times.

The song lists popular and prominent show biz folks who ALSO happen to be JEWISH!  And why is the response to it always so strong?  My theory is that in coming to America, the generation of Jews that came to America from abroad traded ‘becoming American’ for ‘being Jewish’ as if it was an ‘either/or’ choice.  Today, however, Americans freely celebrate their countries of origin and their cultural identities.  Young Jews are in the position of wanting to recapture their origin and culture, if not their faith.

The Festival of Chanukah, as we teach and celebrate it in Reform and Conservative Judaism, commemorates the victory of Judah and his Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks, and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.

What we fail to emphasize in the U.S. is the OTHER important victory; the victory over ASSIMILATION.  The Greek way of life was so attractive, that young Jews readily turned away from tradition in pursuit of all the “perks” of Greek life.  The REAL fight was preserving Judaism in the face of a highly appealing culture.

 Sandler’s Chanukah Song sings out to MODERN young Jews hungry for Jewish Identity.  When performed in concert it is almost like a tribal chant that unifies and gives voice to a craving in mainstream Jewish youth.  Take a look at any of the versions on YouTube and you’ll see a sea of undulating Jewish Youth dancing and singing to his lyrics…. knowing and shouting out all the words!

I think the lesson we need to remember every Chanukah, is that Judaism, and Jews have a lot to offer and a lot to be proud of.  It is so important to understand that Christmas celebrates one event with its own story and traditions, and Chanukah has its own story and traditions.  Each holiday is unique, and each holiday belongs to its’ own people.  Let’s not diminish either tradition by combining them.  Let’s give each the honor it deserves.

“You don't need ‘Deck The Halls’ or ‘Jingle Bell Rock’
'Cause you can spin a dreidel with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock- both Jewish!

Shalom,

Rabbi Rose